Even in a region notoriously treacherous for bicyclists, the past month was particularly grim for the local biking community.

Boston was, for the third time, ranked one of the worst places in the country to ride a bike by Bicycling magazine. And, in a little-noticed death, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research scientist was killed after being hit by a sport utility vehicle as he bicycled to work.

Despite widespread support by bicyclists, public safety advocates, and law enforcement officials, a sweeping, six-year-old proposal to improve bike safety statewide continues to languish on Beacon Hill.

Many legislators ''just don't take bicycling seriously," said state Representative Anne M. Paulsen, Democrat of Belmont and the bill's lead sponsor.

Paulsen occasionally commutes by bike between her Belmont home and her Beacon Hill office. ''They think of it as a child's issue, or for kids, or for recreation," she said of the response to the proposal by many legislators. ''There's not a willingness to view bicycling issues as serious issues."

The draft legislation, called the Bicyclists' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, would make it clear that bikers have the same legal rights as drivers and are subject to the same rules as drivers, facts often overlooked by motorists and bicyclists impatient that they must share the road.

The bill would make it easier for police to ticket bicyclists for unsafe or illegal behavior, such as going through red lights or riding the wrong way on one-way streets. It would require that bikes be equipped with rear lights at night, that children under 16 wear helmets while bicycling, and that ''share the road" signs be posted throughout the state, especially on narrow streets.

It would also fine motorists up to $100 for opening a vehicle door in front of passing bicyclists, the most common cause of urban bike accidents, and increase maximum fines for scofflaw bicyclists from $20 to $100.

But the legislation, originally drafted in 2000 and now nearing the end of its third legislative cycle, is at risk of dying again in the State House if it is not passed by the end of the current session in July.

Another proposed law that would make it illegal to ride a bicycle in Massachusetts while wearing headphones also appears to be moribund.

Supporters of the bicyclists' rights bill say they continue to fight for its passage, but concede that it is difficult to win the backing of lawmakers focused on higher-profile political matters, such as the budget and healthcare.

Unwilling to wait any longer for politicians to act, bicycling advocates have been successful in putting at least one key piece of the bill into effect.

That component -- that all police in the state be trained in bicycle safety enforcement -- has been voluntarily adopted by the Municipal Police Training Committee, which provides in-service training for roughly 17,000 police officers statewide. Supporters call that a positive step to increase public awareness of biking rules among law enforcement officials, which should result in more ticketing of bicyclists and lead to better bicyclist behavior.

''The bicycling community is very much looking for equal rights, rather than special rights," said Dorie Clark, executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition, also known as MassBike. ''Just as we want police officers to strongly enforce the law when a motorist is doing something dangerous toward a bicyclist, we also feel it's inappropriate for a bicyclist to break the rules of the road . . . even if that means your bike trip will take a little longer because you're not going through a red light."

Some bicyclists say a new law alone won't improve biking conditions. Skills training for bicyclists, enforcement of biking rules, and public awareness of bikers' rights are also critical, they say.

''At least half the bike riders I see in Boston are doing something that's either outright illegal or really super-unsafe, and it's got to make drivers mad, but I've never seen the police pull anybody over for it," said Andrew Brand, executive vice president of the Charles River Wheelmen, a social bicycling club. ''If police enforced the laws we already have, we'd be in great shape."

Added Brand: ''Having cars and bikers be more courteous toward each other is really the thing that will fix the problem."

Meanwhile, many bicycling advocates maintain that city officials neglect bikers in numerous ways, pointing to an absence of bike lanes, a shortage of bike racks, and poorly maintained roads. They note that Boston laid off its bicycle program manager, Paul Schimek, due to budget cuts two years after hiring him for the position, and that its bicycle advisory committee no longer exists.

''In many ways, Boston is a wonderful city for biking: It's compact; you can get places; and bicycling is often quicker than driving," said Jeffrey Ferris, who owns Ferris Wheels Bike Shop in Jamaica Plain. ''But anything that's good about bicycling in Boston has nothing to do with what the government does for us."

Vineet K. Gupta, director of policy and planning for Boston's Transportation Department, acknowledged that the city ''needs to do more" for bicyclists.

''But I think there are some projects getting done," he said.

Gupta pointed out that new roads along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway will have extra-wide, 14-foot right lanes to accommodate both cars and bicycles, and he cited the South Bay Harbor Trail, a walking and biking corridor that eventually will stretch 3.5 miles through Roxbury and the South End to Fort Point Channel and Boston Harbor, as evidence of the city's work on behalf of bicyclists.

Ferris and other cyclists say they are heartened that the Boston area has a robust biking community. On most temperate weekends, bicyclists flock to communities outside Boston, particularly in the western suburbs, for solo and group rides. Rails-to-trails projects have created several popular bike paths statewide. And Cambridge, which was singled out as bike-friendly by Bicycling Magazine last month, is widely admired for its biking policies, such as creating bike lanes and cracking down on irresponsible or aggressive bicyclists with tickets and fines.

''In terms of bike culture, we're actually doing pretty well," said Schimek, the city's former bicycle program manager, who helped draft the bicyclists' rights bill.

''But all those cyclists can tell you a story about a driver who honked or screamed or yelled at them for no good reason or a driver who was careless and cut in front of them, or a person who says, 'I'd like to ride my bike, but I'm too afraid to get on the road.' So clearly there's an unmet need in terms of public awareness."

Sacha Pfeiffer can be reached at pfeiffer@globe.com.

What do you think?

Should the city make changes to be more friendly for bicyclists, or is that a lost cause? Do you have a bike-car or bike-pedestrian story to tell? Let City Weekly know at ciweek@globe.com. Please include your name, a daytime phone number, and your neighborhood or community. Responses may be edited for length and grammar.